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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22643272">Walkers of the Lonely Path</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Abstract_Thoughts/pseuds/Abstract_Thoughts'>Abstract_Thoughts</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Origins</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Amell (Dragon Age) is not a Grey Warden, Asexual Character, Canon-Typical Violence, Cousland (Dragon Age) is not a Grey Warden, Dalish Elven Culture and Customs, Dalish Elves, Dalish Origin, F/F, F/M, Fifth Blight (Dragon Age), I mean the others are IMPORTANT but like they're the protagonist, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, M/M, Mahariel Centered, Multi, Multiple Wardens (Dragon Age), Novelization, Other, Polyamory, Surana (Dragon Age) is not a Grey Warden, Tabris (Dragon Age) is not a Grey Warden, also any trigger warnings hmu, also just gonna tag it as other for now cause, bc im nb love mahariel and i said so, listen i know relationships are tagged with male mahariel but they're nb, nb characters dont really fit in to the binary up there so??? anyway lemme know if thats wrong, tabris is here so</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 12:14:25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,884</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22643272</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Abstract_Thoughts/pseuds/Abstract_Thoughts</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Theron Mahariel didn't want to die.<br/>Natia Brosca just wanted her freedom.<br/>Sedera Aeducan just wanted redemption.<br/>And they thought they would find it- in the Grey Wardens. But now the King is dead, the Grey Wardens are scattered to the wind, and Fereldan's in a civil war.<br/>But, hey! This ancient sorceress says they can do it, so maybe they can.<br/>Maybe.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Alistair/Cousland (Dragon Age), Alistair/Female Warden (Dragon Age), Female Amell/Female Surana (Dragon Age), Female Brosca/Leliana (Dragon Age), Male Mahariel/Morrigan (Dragon Age), Male Mahariel/Morrigan/Zevran Arainai, Male Mahariel/Tamlen (Dragon Age), Zevran Arainai/Male Mahariel</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Walkers of the Lonely Path</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The Chantry teaches that the darkspawn were created when the doors to the Black City were breached. This is, as we now know, true. In 9:41 Dragon, a Qunari of all things, blessed by Andraste Herself, would fight one of those first darkspawn.</p><p>However, this story begins 10 years prior, at the beginning of the 5<sup>th</sup> Blight. Where it all began- Southern Fereldan, in the Brecilian Forest.</p><p> </p><p>...</p><p> </p><p>Theron snorted, “You don’t really think that, do you, <em>venhan</em>?”</p><p>“I most certainly do!” Tamlen retorted, “You’re just too stupid to-”</p><p>Laughter erupted from Theron’s throat, “Yeah-!” they choked, “I mean, of <em>course</em>, Fen’Harel is a local, super attractive-” but they couldn’t finish that sentence without laughing again. They stopped and leaned on Tamlen, who was also laughing.</p><p>Suddenly their lover tensed, hand moving to his bow. Theron followed suit, moving with practiced ease to nock and draw an arrow, into a clearing.</p><p>Here, the trees loomed around 3 humans. The poor things looked terrified at the sight of the elves, and the one at the front- the leader?- squeaked in fear.</p><p>“What are you doing here, <em>shemlen</em>?” demanded Tamlen, squaring his shoulders to make sure his aim would be true, should the situation called for it.</p><p>“We’re-” the leader mumbled, “we just got turned around!”</p><p>“Hmm-hmm,” Tamlen snorted.</p><p>“We didn’t know this forest was yours, <em>Dalish</em>,”</p><p>Theron cringed at the phrasing, but snapped, “The forest isn’t ours, shemlen. You’re just quite a bit close to our camp,”</p><p>“Probably bandits,” Tamlen sneered, “Here to drive us out, no doubt,”</p><p>Theron shot a look towards their lover. He hadn’t forgotten the raid from a few months ago- none of them had, truly. They’d lost 7 in the fires set to the aravels, 3 children, “<em>Venhan</em>,” they counselled, “We don’t know that,” they turned to the humans, “However, your kind doesn’t usually travel this deeply into the forest. What brings you here?”</p><p>“Nothi-” the leader tried to say, but-</p><p>“There’s a cave!” shouted the one on the left, “There’s supposed to be treasure in there! If we show you where it is, can we leave?”</p><p>Tamlen snorted, “Treasure? So, you’re more akin to <em>thieves</em> than actual bandits?”</p><p>But Theron frowned, “I know these woods like the back of my hand, and I’ve never seen a cave around these parts,”</p><p>“It’s real well hidden,” the left one was wringing his hands now, “we tried to go further in but there was a <em>demon</em>!”</p><p><em>Ah</em>.</p><p>Shemlen and their ridiculous fear of magic and the Beyond.</p><p>“A <em>demon</em>?” responded Theron, trying not to laugh. The man was clearly scared, beginning to ramble about its ‘huge black eyes’, “Where is this cave?”</p><p>“To the west!” the one on the right spoke for the first time, “At least, I think it was west....” he looked at his fingers, attempting to figure it out with a series of movements that went right over Theron’s head, “Yeah!” he looked back up at them, “Yeah, it was the west! Hidden by a bunch o’ boulders,”</p><p>Tamlen turned to look at his partner, then back at the shemlen, “What do you say, <em>lethall</em><em>e</em><em>n</em>? Do we let them live?”</p><p>Theron lowered their bow, “I’d say so,” then to the shemlen, “Get out of here, and do your best to stay away from our camps,”</p><p>The humans were already running, “We will!!” shouted one of them as they disappeared through the trees.</p><p>“You’re too soft on them, <em>venhan</em>,” Tamlen teased, putting the arrow back in his quiver.</p><p>“And you’re too hard,” they frowned, “There has to be a middle path we’re missing here,”</p><p>Tamlen snickered, reaching out to take Theron’s hands, “Well, I don’t know about you,” he pulled them close, “but I want to go find that cave!”</p><p>“So do I, <em>but</em>,” they intertwined their fingers with Tamlen’s, drawing out the last word, “I think we should tell the Keeper, first,”</p><p>Tamlen scoffed, “She won’t find it worthwhile if there’s nothing in there! Besides, it’s not like we’re the only ones on patrol,”</p><p>Theron frowned. This was a bad idea. A terribly bad idea.</p><p>But they hadn’t seen Tamlen this excited in a long time. He was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet- like he had when they were 15 and he’d dragged Theron out to the shore when they’d been camped way up north. He’d tossed rocks into the angry sea and they’d been soaked by the constant rain of the Storm Coast, but seeing the wild look in his eyes had just made Theron fall even more in love with him. They’d kissed for the first time that day.</p><p>Also, they <em>really</em> wanted to see that cave.</p><p>“Alright, alright,” they grinned and grabbed Tamlen by the collar of his cloak, pulling him in close so they were nose to nose, “but when I drag you out of there, back to camp and you’re injured, delirious from blood loss, I told you so,”</p><p>Tamlen laughed, “And when its fine, I told <em>you</em> so,”</p><p>“That’s fair,” they kissed him softly, “Now let’s go see that ‘demon’”</p><p> </p><p>...</p><p> </p><p>“Huh,” Tamlen brushed pebbles out of his hair as the two of them pushed the ancient, rusting doors to prop open, “The shems weren’t lying,”</p><p>“Looks like human architecture, though...” Theron mumbled, reaching over to grab a stray spider on Tamlen’s shoulder. They set it down gently, and it scrambled off, “I mean, it makes sense, this <em>was</em> Imperial land once,”</p><p>“Yeah, but so long ago it’s in ruins? Why would we not know about it?” he frowned carefully picking his way along the wall, “Why would the shemlen?”</p><p>“Do we want to know those answers?” Theron responded, leaping off the foot-high drop at the bottom of the slope. They turned around to help Tamlen down.</p><p>“Hey, weren’t you supposed to be helping Master Varathorn today?” Tamlen asked, ever the master of changing the subject, “Why’re you out here?”</p><p>Theron thought about joking, but instead said, “I wanted to be with you, dummy,”</p><p>“<em>Oh</em>,” Tamlen turned bright red. All these years and he still blushed at the little things, “I thought that might be the case, you old romanti-”</p><p>Theron suddenly raised their hand, palm flat and facing forward- a universal “stop talking” symbol. Tamlen did as he was told, because he was hearing it too.</p><p>Hissing- deep and <em>wet</em>- was coming from above them.</p><p>The elves turned their heads up slowly- two giant spiders moved across the ceiling. Thus far, they had not determined the intruders as threats, and were going about their lives, clittering and chittering across their webs. Harmless unless provoked, but clearly still a threat.</p><p>“Shit...” Theron hissed, trying to be as quiet as possible. They took Tamlen’s hand, carefully picking their way across the room and through the door- old, wooden, and only slightly rotted..... Had someone been taking care of this place?</p><p>“Okay...” Theron whispered to themselves. They snapped their fingers, letting fire dance across their palm. They held it up- able to see the entire room now. It almost.... It almost looked like a graveyard, “Alright.... This is... <em>Wonderful</em>,”</p><p>Tamlen shot them a disbelieving look, “Is it?”</p><p>“Is a halla white?”</p><p>Tamlen snorted, “Fuck you,”</p><p>As they pushed another door open into a wider hallway, Theron gasped. There were <em>bodies</em>- old, decayed bodies, but still bodies.</p><p>“Something had to kill them,” they said, “And not anything as old as these ruins,”</p><p>Tamlen wasn’t paying attention, though, and Theron elbowed him, “We should get back- the Veil is thin here, and I don’t-”</p><p>“Don’t you recognize this statue, though?”</p><p>Theron huffed, “<em>Venhan</em>-”</p><p>“I’m serious!” he ran his fingers along the inscription at the base of the statue. If they didn’t know better, Theron might have thought it a depiction of Andraste. But it was far too old for that, especially way out here, “This Elvhen looks old...” he frowned, “It’s a strange dialect...”</p><p>But Theron felt the Veil shift, “Tamlen-”</p><p>“Hold on-”</p><p>And the corpses screamed.</p><p>Theron barley had the chance to grab their lover and pull him to the ground, shooting fire in the corpses’ general direction. It didn’t do much except graze one of them, but it screamed none the lass.</p><p>“Holy shit...!” hissed Tamlen, scrambling for his dagger.</p><p>Theron was already on their feet, though, throwing their hands out towards the creatures. The fire consumed them, and they screamed, falling with a final, <em>final</em> scream.</p><p>“<em>Falon’Din enasal enaste</em>,” they muttered, then turned to Tamlen, who’d gone as pale as a ghost.</p><p>“What were those things!?” he demanded, and Theron lowered their hands, moving to take Tamlen’s.</p><p>“Dark magic reanimated them, holding them in this world,” they frowned at the now still corpses, “May the Dread Wolf not hear their steps,”</p><p>Tamlen nodded, “Let us hope,” he pulled back from Theron.</p><p>“We should turn back, <em>venhan</em>,” Theron said as Tamlen continued towards the double doors in the middle of the hall, “If there’s dark magic, there’s a mage,”</p><p>“You’re a mage,”</p><p>“That’s not what I-” they grabbed his wrist, “Tamlen, I’m serious! We shouldn’t be here,” they frowned, “It feels wrong here- like.... Like the ruins themselves know we’re here,”</p><p>Tamlen took both of their hands, “Alright- if you’re really worried-”</p><p>But the doors flew open, and..... <em>Something</em> threw itself through them.</p><p>Theron barley registered that it was in the shape of a bear, but then they were diving to the side, drawing their bow and shooting, just grazing it’s side.</p><p>And pissing it off.</p><p>“Shit!” they heard Tamlen shout as he was pushed into a corner.</p><p>“Hey, asshole!” Theron shouted after them, dropping their bow and lighting their hands aflame, “You wanna dance?”</p><p>The creature roared- it smelled like death, and something else. Something that Theron couldn’t place, but felt so indescribably <em>wrong</em>- and they threw up a wall of flame as the thing came towards him, causing it to scream and flail again. It gave Tamlen an opening, though, and he leaped onto it’s back, sinking his blade into it’s neck.</p><p>It screamed, too, as it fell, and Tamlen pulled his blade out, wiping it against his shield, “It smells weird- the blood,”</p><p>“It does,” Theron agreed, “That’s why I said we...” they frowned, the sight of a grand mirror standing in the middle of the room distracting them, “Huh,” they moved towards it hesitantly, “Do you feel that?” they asked, knowing he couldn’t, “The way the Veil shifts, here?”</p><p>“Didn’t it already do that?”</p><p>“Yes, but it’s different- that was something being pulled through, <em>this</em>...” they brought their fingers up to the glass, “This feels like it doesn’t even understand the Veil, like it’s fighting it at every turn...”</p><p>“That’s... Weird,” Tamlen moved up to examine it, too, running his fingers along the carvings, “We should go, though,”</p><p>“The keeper would like to know about this place, though,”</p><p>Tamlen nodded, “Yeah, I think so-” he froze mid turn, “Wait, did you see that?”</p><p>Theron frowned, “See what?”</p><p>“There was movement- in the mirror!”</p><p>Theron laughed, taking Tamlen’s free hand, “You mean your reflection, <em>venhan</em>?”</p><p>But Tamlen didn’t appear to hear the joke, “See, there it is!”</p><p>The Veil shuddered- the mirror felt <em>wrong</em>, “Tamlen-” Theron tried to pull him away, “Get away from it!”</p><p>“It’s showing me places!”</p><p>“Tamlen!”</p><p>“A city!”</p><p>“<em>Taml</em>-”</p><p>The world went white.</p>
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